Got greenwashing?

There are too many people on the planet. While it's fun to think we're "green" by buying hybrid cars, using environmentally friendly products (that still, strangely, come in plastic bottles manufactured from petroleum which take millenia to decompose), the simple fact of the matter is that this world is overpopulated. That's the real environmental concern. With a growing middle class in both India and China, potentially hundreds of millions MORE people will desire first-world lifestyles in coming decades. We can talk about landfills and green plsatic bottles all we want, but all that matters is that this world cannot support billions and billions of people requiring access to clean water, electricity, and fresh food. The best way to solve most environmental problems is to reduce the population significantly - it'll happen one way or the other, but if we plan it like responsible citizens of the planet, it'll be a lot less painful. Stop overpopulation, and have one or two kids max, then we can start worrying about plastics and styrofoam again.

Its hard to trust any product that wasn't promoting its "greenness" before this feel good green trend started.
If the number of products out there claiming to be earth-friendly were genuine, it would truly be fantastic.
We'l know it isn't a trend when, for instance, a cleaner company puts out only "green" formulas, instead of offering a more "green" formula at a greater cost in addition to its regular product line.
As for SUVs. If you don't run a farm, pull horses, or haul construction material, or the like, what is it needed for? Especially those super gigantic ones. They really disgust me.
I agree with the last sentiment in the article. "Who's the adult here?" If people aren't going to take responsibility for themselves, we must be forced.

It's a marketing tool for fools. In a continuation of their cynical ways, companies will manufacture as cheaply as possible, paint it green, call it green, then double the price.

Purchasing stuff in of itself is not "eco-friendly". It requires a lot of energy and virgin materials to make and transport stuff.

The most eco-friendly strategy, in terms of the environment AND personal economics, is to buy less stuff, to buy only used stuff (where appropriate), or to buy stuff that takes the least energy and the least virgin resources to make.

Price is often an indicator of how much energy it takes to make something. A gallon of bottled water costs 100s of times more than a gallon of tap water. The only difference is the bottle, which definitely takes money to make and ship.

Makes me laugh when I see people buying green products and then I see them putting down layer after layer of lawn fertilizer chemicals, followed up by twice daily lawn waterings via lawn irrigation.

the go green campaign is simply a marketing campaign as it gives manufacturers the opportunity to increase pricing. We have been recycling since the 80's, give me a break!

Happy Valentine's Day!

the go green campaign is simply a marketing campaign as it gives manufacturers the opportunity to increase pricing. We have been recycling since the 80's, give me a break!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I think it definltey is a buyer beware world out there when it comes to eco-friendly products. Marketers love that they can manipulate our values in such a slick way that we are lulled into a false sense of being environmentally friendly. Also I think we need to be more aware of food products that claim they are natural and organic as well. Alot of these companies are owned by the big guns like Kraft, Unilever and so forth...however they use "natural" terms such as "Nature's Place" etc...to easily convince us to pick up that brand. I think folks just really need to educate themselves before making these choices.

All I can say is DUH. This is marketing, plain and simple. If you can't carry your own water bottle, fine buy a poland spring. If you must drive a giant Tahoe, fine. Neither of these products is "good enough" in my mind. If you want to save the planet don't buy or use EITHER!

You mean the whole "Going Green" marketing blitz is just about making money? I am shocked!

While there may be some genuine "greening" of businesses, I think most of the corporate giants are just jumping on a hyped up green bandwagon that has no real lasting substance.

I think our culture has proper awareness of taking care of Creation. The Eco-Friendly mantra is a borderline oppression, moving in the direction of a form of religious worship. On the one hand we have blown it in being stewards of the Earth, on the other hand we are very close, pehaps already going over the line, of being a culture that worships the Earth. And that is not healthy for this Planet or for the people and creatures who dwell on it.

We will be eco-frendley when it pays to be.

Those "eco-friendly" bottle from Poland Spring are pretty ridiculous. The irony is that bottled water is a total waste to begin with when we have perfectly good tap water available (or even a Brita filter!). The most eco-friendly thing to do is not buy bottled water in the first place!

The whole green thing is all marketing hype!!

We are no closer to being green.
We need to do away with all plastic. If not put a good price on refunds for all of the plastic. We need wind power, The auto manufactures need to get the fuel MPH up where it belongs. My wife drives a 2000 ford escort wagon and gets better than
30 MPH.
The elected officals need to get their heads out of the clouds and pass some real laws.

Green is just a way for companies to generate new income. They are tricking the so called eco friendly dummies into buying there product. Please people stop being morons.

I think that manufacturers are jumping on the "green" bandwagon just a little to frequently. And, we uninformed consumers, who are being scared into submission are buying into it.

I think the industry is a little too new for there to be much of an impact at this early date or there to be much data on the benefit.

I personally cringe everytime I hear "green". Again its a word that's being thrown around a little too much.

I hate it that safe bulbs are being replaced with ones with toxic mercury in them.
Saving electricity isn't worth breathing mercery vapors in or having to dispose of these bulbs when they burn out.

It all depends.. just like anything else in the world. Read the fine print, check it out in places like Consumer Reports or on the 'net. Some "green" products really are, some others really aren't. It also helps to bring your brain and some critical thinking. If a company selling water in a plastic bottle calls itself "green"... well, just THINK about it!

I must commend Poland Springs on their attempts to reduce plastic waste. The are undertaking an enormous recycling effort at Fenway Park. They have a team of workers who collect not only the many plastic water bottles that are sold but plastic beer cups that are usually discarded. So even though their new eco friendly water bottle may be futile their efforts to be eco friendly are certainly not.

i think the amount of energy to make and the harm to the environment to destroy the battries in the hybrid vehicles will do more damage than a gas car engineered to get far better millage.

It is extremely difficult to get behind the advertising and hype and find out what things are really made of, who makes them and where they come from, and what the smarter choices might be.

I have a couple of rules of thumb. First of all, keep it simple! The more bells and whistles and processing and ingredients in a product, the more energy and resources it took to make it, the more likely it is to contain harmful plastics, metals or chemicals, the more costly it is to you, and the more likely it is to break down and have to be thrown away. There isn't much that good old fashioned Murphey's Oil Soap can't clean, for example -- and it is made from vegetable oils, not petroleum products.

Second, remember that the "green" triangle has three interconnected parts: Reduce (consumption), reuse (everything!) and recycle. One of the best things we can do for our environment is to stop buying so much, and when we need to replace something, look at second-hand shops and craigslist before diriving out to the mall.

Finally, turn off the TV and live your life. Take walks with your family and neighbors. Organize a community garden. Volunteer to plant trees in your town, and then make sure that those trees are cared for. Hold a book drive for the school library. Help collect used computers, cell phones, PDAs, and eyeglasses for refurbishing and donating to senior centers, battered women's shelters, and the armed forces. Set up a tool library or lawnmower exchange with your neighbors, so that not everyone has to own everything. Donate some of the money you save by living more simply to others who have even less -- because the world is filled with others who have much, much less.

Rather than feeling deprived, if you do these things I guarantee that you will feel strong, happy, connected, and content.

For sure companies are just tagging on any green logo to make money. There is no way that Poland Spring's new eco plastic bottle can be any better for the environment than any other plastic bottle out there!

I found www.GreenandMore.com to provide the best in eco-friendly products and advice that truly benefits you and the environment. Nothing misleading there!

We absolutely are NOT. Hollywood and Cambridge moonbats can pat themselves on the back for driving their Priuses, but the fact is those cars do far more environmental damage than the biggest, most gas-guzzlingest SUV. The Prius battery is made from nickel, a metal that is mined from some of the dirtiest spots on earth. Not that George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Harvard professors and the like care about that. Al Gore is their hero and no such inconvenient truths are going to change that.

No. It's all just a marketing ploy. Now suddenly EVERYTHING is "green". It's absurd. This is all just a fad that will go the way of the low carb, anti-bread movement. Once companies and retailers jump on the green bandwagon, it should just be considered a codeword for "Higher price / Higher profit" Green foods, Green clothing, i've even see a "green" guitar. I mean come on already. I refuse to buy into it in any way.

Big business just wants to make big bucks!! Hood produces a "Light Block" bottle for their milk bottling to capitalize & promote saving milk vitamins, however the bottle is made of products that can't be recycled along with regular plastic containers.

I worry most about the compact flourescent lightbulbs. They are a hazard and I can't believe everyone is so happy with them. I do not want something that toxic in my home with young children. It is really odd that we made everyone turn in their mercury thermometers and now we're encouraging everyone to go out and guy more mecury products.

The thing I would most like to see --- more emphasis on wind power. I think those giant turbines are cool looking and I love to know that we're using that energy without negative side effects.

Wake up people, while its great to recycle, ride a bike, and not litter, it doesn't make any difference to the overall scheme of things. Mankind could turn into vegans who return to caves and it won't have one iota of an impact on global warming. There is warming on the polar ice caps.....on MARS, this isn't man made, don't think there is anything you can do to fix it.

Kudos to ther person who mentioned too many people. While its great to work to reduce famine and disease, what kind of impact would it have on the planet if everyone on the planet only died of old age. Chaos.

The only thing green going on is the money in the upper echelon companies. This is a marketing ploy aimed at the naiive. I am employed in an industry that requires "recycled efficiency". Paper companies are claiming they are using more and more recycled paper and planting new trees. To me it is just to ease the consciences of those ecofriendly beaurocrats that need to feel they are doing the "right thing"

It's sad the marketing pips at these companies are using the "Green" moniker to a point it has no worth any longer. The truth here is nothing green is green in any light unless you just don't use it.

We need to refocus the dialog on how we 'the human race' can start reducing our numbers on this planet by 2/3rds within the next 50 years. If we don't it won't matter, as the planet won't be worth living on.

Any ideas of leaving are also a pipe dream while it is likely we will have some people living on the moon their dependence on our planet will still be strong and any hope of leaving our solar system is 100 or more years off and then only a few will have the chance of a life on a different world if it is even possible.

While China's one child policy and India's sterilization policy seamed extreme we have to wake up, it was a point of desperation for these countries to feed its population at a time they could not feed them.

They both have made great strides due to these actions as much as I hated the idea of forcing someone to give up there right to have a child we will soon have to face the same problem more globally.

The resources we depend on, the quantity of waste we create, besides the climatic changes we are causing will force us into this unless we start on the correct pathway away from the abyss if it is not to late already.

Some positive steps we can take today are:
Moving to a zero waste fuel like hydrogen as a fuel source is the long term solution using non-burning methods in its production. Using a hybrid or electric car while it makes us feel better it really doesn't cut the carbon footprint as much as we are told.

Moving back to glass & metal containers are also better as they can be reused with less energy than plastic can be.

I think we also have to take a step back and not jump on folks who do try to live a greener lifestyle and a more eco-friendly way of living. Yes, it can be overwhelming and annoying at times when all you hear everyday is green this is and green that but keep in mind this is a movement that has been going on for decades not just in the past couple of years, and it's just basically making its debut now via companies that are primarily "greenwashing" its consumers. I myself do not want to live in a trashed environment or allow future generations to wallow in our mess. But I also don't expect everything to instantly change overnight. We all need to work together whether your a by-stander or an environmentalist, a conservative or a liberal. Environmentalism is not a political front but a goal that all should achieve whether it's a small change you do on a daily basis or a large change you do within a year. As I said before, education is key and a tool we can use for the greater good.

Most every problem we face has its roots in human overpopulation. We are beginning to witness the profound effects the over consumption of natural resources has on our planet. In the United States, we elect short sided politicians who garner power based on their attractiveness, rather than their ability to effectively lead us in a meaningful, responsible manner.

The George Bushes and politicians who tout "family values", encourage reproduction while offering no long range plan of how we will deal with the consequences of such behavior, care only about their power. 70% of the nations economy is consumer driven. "The more people, the better the economy and hence, a better lifestyle" is an outmoded paradigm that needs reexamination. Let's do something about this serious, serious problem before we cannot effect change.

There's so much hypocrisy out there in the marketing world, you really need to do your own homework, look at different viewpoints.

It's hard to trust any of them, though I'm sure there's some good businesses out there.

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The best way to be green is to become a vegetarian or even better, a vegan. The choices people make when it comes to they put on their dinner plates have way more impact than what kind of car they drive. Factory farming is by far the biggest contributor to global warming than anything else to include industrial and automobile pollution.

I think that greenwashing is a huge problem now that being "green" is so fashionable. I think that labeling so many products as "green" gives people a false sense of environmentalism. One has to remember that consumption of ANYTHING is worse than no consumption. Driving a hybrid is still DRIVING . Also people should remember that there are ALWAYS trade offs. For example, organic foods help a lot with stuff like runoff reduction, but 1) organic farming takes up much more LAND than conventional farming and 2) if something is organic and comes from really far away, it's not doing much good to buy that over a local non-organic product. It just seems like the current fashion surrounding environmentalism just opens a huge door for increased greenwashing.